Dáil Éireann

The revolutionary Irish parliament established by Sinn Féin representatives in 1919, which claimed sovereignty for an independent Irish republic during the Irish War of Independence.

First Dáil: The first assembly of Dáil Éireann, which met in Dublin on 21 January 1919. Its opening session adopted the declaration and democratic programme that established the Dáil’s public claims.
1918 Irish general election: The United Kingdom general election in Ireland that gave Sinn Féin a sweeping victory in December 1918. Its elected Sinn Féin representatives used their mandates to establish the Dáil.
Irish War of Independence: The conflict from 1919 to 1921 between Irish republican forces and British government forces in Ireland. The Dáil’s declared independence supplied the political framework for the armed conflict.
House of Commons of the United Kingdom: The elected lower chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Sinn Féin members elected to it in 1918 abstained and instead assembled as the Dáil.
Éamon de Valera: An Irish republican leader who served as president of Dáil Éireann and later as head of government and president of Ireland. As president from 1919, he represented the Dáil’s republican government abroad and at home.
Irish Declaration of Independence: A declaration adopted by the First Dáil on 21 January 1919 asserting Ireland’s independence from Britain. It gave the Dáil’s claim to sovereignty an explicit constitutional statement.
Sinn Féin: An Irish political party founded in 1905 that became the leading force behind the independence movement after 1916. Its elected representatives convened the first Dáil and dominated its early proceedings.
Anglo-Irish Treaty: The 1921 agreement that created the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the British Commonwealth. Its terms divided the Dáil and forced a decision between compromise and continued republican claims.
Parliament of Southern Ireland: A legislature created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 for Southern Ireland, which barely functioned. It was the British legal alternative to the Dáil’s rival claim to represent Ireland.
Cathal Brugha: An Irish revolutionary and politician who served as the first president of Dáil Éireann. He presided over the First Dáil before de Valera assumed leadership.

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